Why Mental Health Challenges At Work Now Under Intense Focus

Mental health challenges at the workplace has come under even more intense focus and many reasons have accounted for this.

On the one hand is that 60% of the global population is in work; even more instructive being that the incidences of mental health challenges that may confront them on daily basis, are on the increase.

Aside that there are different levels of insanity on the roads, poor mental health can lead to decreased performance, absence from work, and increased staff turnover. Depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of approximately 12 billion workdays each year.

Both conditions could be triggered or worsened by bad governance government resulting in job layoffs, increased poverty and economic pressure for the average household. These have become common in Nigerian and many other developing countries

These reasons and more have put October 10, under close focus, being a day for the commemoration of this year’s World Mental Health Day.

With “Mental Health at Work” as theme, it will put on the table, for discussion, unhealthy workplace conditions including stigma, discrimination, exposure to risks, harassment and more.

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The commemoration is under the auspices of World Health Organisation (WHO) in its bid to taming mental health challenges and associated problems.

Essentially, it, uniting with partners would be highlighting the vital connection between mental health and work. Safe, and how healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health.

“Unhealthy conditions including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work”, the agency has said in a release.

“It is essential for governments, employers, the organisations which represent workers and employers, and other stakeholders responsible for workers’ health and safety to work together to improve mental health at work.

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How To Address Mental Health Issues At Work

What can be done to address mental health issues at work?

The WHO has suggested a number of interventions planks:

1. Action to address mental health at work should be done with the meaningful involvement of workers and their representatives, and persons with lived experience of mental health conditions.
2. By investing efforts and resources in evidence-based approaches and interventions at work, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive at work and in life.
3. Mental health and work are closely linked. And a supportive work environment fosters mental health, providing purpose and stability. But poor working conditions can harm mental well-being, reducing both job satisfaction and productivity.
4. In terms of wider impact on work and society, poor mental health can lead to decreased performance, absence from work, and increased staff turnover.
5. Depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of approximately 12 billion workdays each year
6. There are various risks to mental health that workers may face including discrimination, poor working conditions, or limited autonomy.